Perennial underdog, plucky as ever, suffered through a relatively tough year, made all the more dispiriting by the gains of its undeserving neighbours. (BTW: This commentary in no way reflects any biases, or provincial affiliations, associated with the author).

Reflecting the diversity of the country, the biggest leaps in salary where confined neither to the east nor west, nor urban or rural areas, but emerged in a seemingly haphazard pattern across the land.